NWS: 10th coldest winter in West Palm Beach

It was the 10th coldest winter on record in West Palm Beach, the National Weather Service said in a report today.

And West Palm – as recorded at Palm Beach International Airport – had its second coldest January-February ever.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, we came in 3 degrees below normal for the three winter months of December, January and February. That’s particularly impressive considering December was 2.4 degrees over average.

My own calculations showed that PBIA recorded the coldest February since 1980.

Other locations in South Florida had remarkable winter temperatures as well. Miami Beach had its second-coldest winter on record.

Rainfall was off the charts, too. Fort Lauderdale saw 15.32 inches of rain in December, January and February, 7.03 inches over average. That’s the sixth-wettest winter ever.

West Palm had its 12th wettest at 13.8, or 4.36 over average. The only station reporting below average precipitation for the period was Clewiston at 5.88 inches.

“The main contributing factor was a rather persistent low pressure area in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere centered over eastern Canada and the Northeast United States,” forecasters said. “A trough associated with this low extended down across much of the Southeastern U.S., including Florida.”

Strong cold fronts pushed down through the peninsula from the Midwest, but the air masses actually originated in Canada.

Forecasters are still calling for cooler and wetter conditions through May because of El Nino in the Pacific.

“Additional Gulf of Mexico storm systems could impact Florida during this period, primarily during March and April, with the potential to produce severe weather, including tornadoes.”

This is a similar pattern to the El Nino conditions of 1998 and 2003, NWS forecasters said. The El Nino is expected to dissipate in May, giving us neutral conditions in summer.

About the Author

John Nelander is a freelance writer, book editor and publisher in West Palm Beach. Weather Matters features news and observations about the weather with a focus on what's happening in South Florida. The blog also looks at the latest studies on climate change as well as what's happening in the weather forecasting biz. His website is www.pbeditorialservices.com.